MN Prep Wrestling Coach Demoted After Misspending Funds

Josh McLay an assistant principal at Hastings High School and also the head wrestling coach will face a criminal investigation and be demoted after he allegedly spent thousands of dollars meant for the school’s wrestling team on out-of-state trips to college football games.

The Star Tribune reported that McLay spent more than $11,000 on travel expenses and tickets to NCAA Division I football games in locations ranging from Florida to Nebraska. The unauthorized spending allegedly went on for seven years, but the district didn’t discover it until this fall when McLay submitted a purchase order for 10 tickets to a Notre Dame-Florida State game in Indiana.

The money McLay used was from a fund made up of donations from individual people and businesses for the wrestling team. Under the district’s policies, that money can be used for equipment, training, events and travel expenses, but only those related to the wrestling team.

School officials have referred the matter to the Hastings Police Department for investigation.